Dal Tadka is the Punjabi’s special dal. The tadka, word itself gives the feeling of some rich, spiciness and ghee. The raw spices like the mustard seeds, cumin seeds, dried red chillies and asafoetida are fried first for few seconds in the hot oil which is called a “Tadka”. This tadka is added to the cooked dal, which is called the “Dal Tadka”. It is accompanied with plain rice, jeera rice or even with roti.

Ingredients for making Dal Tadka

1 cup Red Lentils (Masoor Dal)

1 sliced Onion

2 medium chopped Tomatoes

2 Cloves Garlic (Lahusan/Lasan)

1/4 teaspoon Turmeric (Haldi)

Salt as per taste

Lemon Juice if required

1 teaspoon Mustard seeds (Rai/Sarson)

1/2 teaspoon Cumin (Jeera) seeds

1-2 Dried Red Chillies

2 inch finely chopped Ginger (Adhrakh)

a pinch of Asafoetida (Hing)

Few Curry Leaves

2 tablespoon Ghee

For Garnish

1 tablespoon finely chopped Cilantro (Coriander leaves/Dhania)

Method for making Dal Tadka

Wash the red lentils thoroughly and keep aside.

Take a pan. Heat 1 tablespoon Ghee and add the onions.

Add garlic, turmeric and salt.

Saute well and then add the tomatoes.

Saute for another two minutes and then add the lentils.

Stir well and add required water (nearly 3 cups).

Cover with a lid till the lentils are well cooked.

There is an easy way to cook the lentils in less time.

You can also use the Pressure cooker. From the first step you can use the cooker.